Members of the wild horse herd of Alto rounded up in 2016 were released Saturday back to the area they previously freely roamed.

Patience O'Dowd, president of the Wild Horse Observers Association that filed the legal action resulting in the return of the horses, said Monday she urged all concerned residents to call the District 2 office of the New Mexico Department of Transportation asking for digital speed signs to be positioned for the safety of the horses, cyclists, dogs, elk, deer and others endangered by speeders on NM 48 through the Alto area.

Local residents monitored the horses the first night and O'Dowd and others were out the second night.

Two horses were hit, but they were not members of the newly release herd, she confirmed. Both walked away and she has seen one of them running and not seemingly bothered by scratches on its shoulder and leg. The hits also were not connected to being blinded by car lights of advocates, she said. A police report on the incident was filed.

O'Dowd said loading the horses who had been free roaming on a ranch near Carrizozo wasn't a problem. By the third load, she's convinced the remaining members of the herd knew where they were headed and wanted to go home. They nearly jumped into the trailer, she said.

Monday morning she saw a stallion and five mares browsing in a yard that had been one of their favorites, O'Dowd said.

The decision of a district court judge mandated the return of the horses and redefined the jurisdiction of the New Mexico Livestock Board.

This sign was posted, but later a driver without lights on his vehicle and speeding targeted it.(Photo: Courtesy/Patience O'Dowd)

The wild horses on the highway in Alto and the entry to Ruidoso were welcomed by drivers, some of whom tried to direct the herd off the road.(Photo: Courtesy/David Tremblay)

O'Dowd said her biggest concern now are trucks and larger vehicles that seem to want to endanger the horses and that she was told have been clocked at 102 mph. Advocates are convinced the digital speed signs would alert drivers and cause them to slow their speed.

:"This is a safety corridor and fines for speeding are double," she said. "We are asking that police monitor speed on NM48 in Alto this week at dusk and during the night. So watch your speed guys.. Its'- always law-breakers who have hurt these wild horses.